, 1887-03-24
Suicide with q Razor.


walk in front Of the entrance to Union
block, on First street, near Stark, by
cutting his throat with razor. For
the past week he had suffered from in
somnia, and his mind was deranged.
He imagined IL conspiracy existed to
murder him. At about 8 o'clock yes
terday morning he said to his wife
that he intended to have his life in
sured, and would go to DIR. Bevan and
Saylor to consult them about it. At
the same time he picked up his razor,
saying that he intended to defend HIM
self from those who were plotting
against his life. Fearing that he
would get himself into trouble his wife
accompanied him. They went to
Union block, in which building the
offices of the physicians above named
are located Neither of the doctors
was in his office, and the fact had
depressing effect on the man. AS they
returned down stairs Mrs. Elwanger
urged her husband to return home and
put away his razor, as no one was try
ing to harm him. This seemed to
make demon of the man, who ex-
claimed; "By God, you are in with
them and you've got to die" He
pushed her back and she fell, her feet
resting on the stairway landing which
is half way up and her head being
fasa 1tA I, ,nl, anI Co.,
help, but before any one could come
to her assistance, Elwanger made sew
eral slashes with the razor ut her
throat. He is very large and pow
erful man and it would have been use-
less for her to attempt to struggle with
him, even had his insanity not lent
him additional strength, so she held
her hands to her throat and thus pro-
tected herself from vital injuries. He
tried several times to tear her hands
away with his left hand, but before he
could reach her throat with the razor
she got her hands back again.
Mr.. II. L. Hudson, whose gun store
adjoins the stairway on which the
struggle took place, heard Mrs. Elwan-
gers screams and rushed upstairs to
her assistance. Elwanger was leaning
over the woman, striving to kill her,
and Hudson tried to put him off, but
could not move him. Then he dealt
Elwanger rs hard blow as he could
with his fist on the temple, but the
man did not seem to feel it, Hudson
then rushed down stairs, hurried into
his store, picked up n base ball bat and
hurried out. BY this time Mr. and
Mrs. Elwanger were upon the side
walk Mt the foot OF the stairs, che evi-
IDENTIFY having escaped from him at the
landing. She was prostrated and FL
wanger again bending over her, attack
ing her throat. Quite number of
men were gathered near, but none in
.erfered. Mr.. Hudson, taking good
aim, struck Elwanger on the top OF the
head with the bat, cutting open the
scalp, and knocking him PROSTATE on
his back. Two by-standers ran to
her up, carrying eher into Wisdom's
drug store. She was covered with blood.
No one seemed to pay any attention
to Elwanger He turned over on his
face, half raised himself ON his left
elbow, then drew the razor across his
throat on the left side, severing the
iugular vein. Not until the blood
spurted from the wound and formed
pool on the sidewalk did it dawn on
the crowd that Elwangcr had taken
his own life. Medical aid was sum
moned but nothing could be done.
The wound was fatal. AS Elwunger
was dying he said: "Sam Miller is at
the bottouu of this" A message was
sent to the coroner, who arrived in
about twenty minutes Meantime the
body, bathed in blood and lying in
great pool OF the crimson life stream
turned to black and mingling with the
mud and rain, lay exposed to public
view, and thousands stopped and
crowed round to look at the sickeuing
sight. Finally the coroner came and
the bedv was conveyed to the morgue.
Am inquest was held, the jury return
ing II verdict that the deceased was
forty years old and n native OF Germa-
ny, and that he came to his death by
suicide while temporarily insane.
After being carried into the drug
store, Mrs. Elwangers wounds were
dressed temporarily, and she was then
taken by constable Mead and police
man Barry to st. Vincent's hospital.
Examination here showed that the
! wounds were more serious than at first
supposed. She received one deep cut
on the right side OF the face, about
four inches long, extending from below
the ear to the angle OF the jaw. An
other deep cut extends from the right
corner OF the mouth across the upper
! lip TO the angle of the left jaw. The
most dangerous cut is one on the left
/ side OF the neck, so deep that the
blade touched the spinal column. For
tunately no important blood vessels
! were severed. There are several minor
cuts on the hands and face. The at
tending physicians think that the
chances of her recovery are somewhat